Sympathy is more important than Empathy
by Yukio Mustang
Summary: After Sans reset the timeline, he expected for a better timeline. What he did not expect was to be able to shape it. Now Sans is stuck in Frisks body with Chara and both must work together to fix the mistakes. But can Sans face the challenges that come with being the last human needed for the barrier? Is that the answer? Rated for language and future themes. Pairings undecided.
1. RUINS I

So majority of the talking will be actual game play dialog. This will spoil majority of the game. Based off of the video Megalomaniac by Camila Cuevas. So there may be some events from that video only. It does not follow the whole series though just the first in the series. This chapter will be very boring in this aspect. Also I am having it so Sans does not remember the Pacifist ending because Frisk was in the middle of it, but he does remember the Genocide ending but he knows that Frisk was controlled by Chara. But there was a pacifist ending and genocide ending and he remembers a bit from the pacifist playthrough, just not the ending. (He does not know who Toriel is). 

A/N Let me know if you want pairings and if so, what pairings you want. Also this has all been typed on my phone so there are probably spelling and/or grammar mistakes. I'm human. just let me know. 

Ghost flame:your not human your my evil sibling. Finish the other stories you have. 

Me: Get out of here. You shouldn't be here. You don't even read fanfiction. 

Ghost flame: True but I know the password to your phone. You always leave your fanfiction open. 

Me: At least do the disclaimer then. 

Ghost Flame: Fine, fine. My evil ****** does not own undertale, how much they wish. They do not even own me, though I own them. 

Me: First, you know I edited out my gender right. I hate having my gender online. Second, you don't own me. I'm older then you, by a year. So here goes the story.

"Regular talking" 

'Chara talking' 

'Narrator' (I dont want to assume Chara's the narrator) 

_Sans talking in his head_

I wake up on a bed of flowers. Immediately I feel something is not right. I slowly get up. ' _Wait I am suppose to be in Snowdin_.' I look down at my body for the first time to see a striped sweater. I try and remember what happened last cycle. I realize that this must have happened when I took Frisk's soul to fight off Chara and I reset. I was the one with the soul. I was the one who reset. We must have switched bodies. 

I walk to the next room. I see Flowey in there. "Howdy! I'm Flowey, Flowey the Flower!" He stops for a moment. "Hmmm… You're new to the underground aren'tcha? Golly you must be so confused. Someone ought to teach you how things work around here!" He brightens up a bit. "I guess little old me will have to do. Ready? Here we go! See that heart! That is your SOUL, the very culmination of your being! Your soul starts out weak, but can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV." My heart drops at this. I know exactly what LV stands for, LOVE or level of violence. He says,"What's LV stand for? Why, LOVE, of course! You want some LOVE, don't you?" 

I want to say ' _no I don't_ ' but I find that my mouth won't physically move. "Don't worry, I'll share some with you! Down here, LOVE is shared through…" I see little pellets fly towards me. "Little white... "friendliness pellets." Are you ready? Move around and catch as many as you can." I dodge them all because I know that they are magical attacks. I try and attack back but I find that I can not. I also notice that instead of my old 1 hp I have 20 hp. "Hey buddy, you missed them. Let's try again okay?" I dodge them again. I realize that Frisk probably fell for that because he was new down here and never had to worry about magical attacks. "Is this a joke? Are you braindead? RUN. INTO. THE. BULLETS!" Flowey quickly corrects himself by saying "friendliness pellets" But now I know that I would have gotten hurt. I dodge them again. 

"You know what's going on here, don't you?* But how? Something is not right with you, but I don't know what. You look like a human, but I feel like you don't belong here. I feel like I know you, but how? I would have known if you came here before, I always know if you reset. So who are you? You aren't Chara, are you? I guess I should just kill you now. Maybe next time you come around I will have an answer." He surrounds me with his 'friendliness pellets'. I know even with my 20hp, I will be dead. They come closer, but fire knocks it away. I see a goat women come into view. "What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth. Ah do not be afraid,my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the ruins. I pass through here everyday to see if anyone has fallen." 

I recognize the voice. She is the person who I would speak to behind the door. She is the lady who likes my puns. I want to say something, anything to let her know who I am, but I can't. Like before, I can not move my lips. "You are the first human to come down here in a long time. Come! I will guide you through the way." She leads me around. I see a golden star like thing. I touch it and I hear a voice say,'The shadow of the ruins loom above, filling you with determination. HP fully restored' I mentally frown at the voice. In my head I say,' _Who's there?_ ' but no one answered. I see a save button and a continue button. I save and it reminds me of how I could reset. "Welcome to your new home, innocent one. Allow me to educate you in the operation of the RUINS. The RUINS are full of puzzles. Ancient fusions between diversions and door keys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them." She explains but none of it new. I was told this when I was just a baby bone, I even told this to Paps when he was born. Every monster knows this. "To make progress here you will need to trigger several switches. Do not worry, I have labeled the ones that you need to flip." I smile a bit thinking of how she really wants to help me even though she doesn't even know me. "Splendid! I am proud of you little one." 

"As a human living in the UNDERGROUND, monsters may attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation. However worry not! The process is simple. When you encounter a monster, you will enter a FIGHT. While you are in a FIGHT, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time. I will come to resolve the conflict. Practice talking to the dummy." 

I see one of napstablooks cousins. I try and remember his name, and remember that he was called John. I approach him and I hear, 'you encounter the Dummy'. When that happens I see options appear under me. I stare at them surprised. They say FIGHT ACT ITEM and MERCY. I hit the ACT button and another box open. This time it says Check and Talk. I hit talk and I hear the same voice say, 'You talk to the dummy. … It doesn't seem much for conversation.' The screen fades away and I hear,'You earn zero gold and zero EXP.' The options disappear. 

"Ah,very good. You are very good." I walk to the next room. Toriel says,"There is another puzzle in this room. I wonder if you can solve it?" I follow her to the end, but I see a froggit. I hear the voice in my head say,'You should kill it. You would get stronger. Right now you are weak, useless, stupid. You think that sparing the monsters will help you? They will only make you powerless.' I call out in my head ' _Who's there?_ ' This time I actually hear a response,'Oh you don't know? I'm the demon that comes when you call my name. I am Chara. But you know that already don't you, Sansy. You think that I have forgotten what you did? I have always been here. I have always been with Frisk. It's just they resisted me for some time. But when they landed on the surface, I reset the timeline for them. What's the fun of living peacefully. They were devastated, you know. That allowed me to easily take over their body. I gained so many levels. Then you had to come. You managed to give them hope, to give them DETERMINATION. They managed to not only break free, but manifest on their own. They managed to give their soul to you. And you reset. But something changed. I felt the change. Instead of feeling Frisk with me, I felt another. YOU. The soul is the same color, yet it felt different. How'd you do it Sans? How'd you switch with Frisk?' I respond to Chara,' _Trust me, if I knew then I would have done it. I don't want to be stuck with a Chara-cter like you. In fact you're the last person I would want to be with. I want to be back in snowdin, in my body._ ' There is silence until Chara says,'Okay comedian, how bout we call a truce. We both don't want to be in this weird situation. How bout we work to get back to normal. I won't bother you and you will look for a way to switch back. Okay?' I think for a moment. Though I don't want to help them, it would be harder if we are fighting each other, ' _Fine_.' ****


	2. RUINS II

Me: yay I'm back. I actually edited it and reread it too.

Ghost:ya, unlike last update. you messed up your Blue Exorcist story. over a thousand saw your mistake.

Me: Quiet you. Its not my fault. There's a bug in the mobile document manager that removes the spaces. any way I self edit, so there are mistakes.

Ghost: ya Yukio sucks at spelling and grammar.

Me: your not helping. you could help me edit.

Ghost: nope. i would not help you with your underFAIL fanfiction.

Me: stop, your going to offend the community.

Ghost: your the one who likes exploring the community. I don't care.

Me: just be quiet. just do the disclaimer.

Ghost: Yukio doesn't own Undertale. They don't even own majority of the music they listen to.

Me: shut up. we don't talk about that. And yes I own most of my music. I own the Undertale sound track. And stop getting into my stories.

Ghost: naw, you need some humor.

* * *

I compliment the froggit and Toriel comes and ends the battle. I finish walking to Toriel. "This is the puzzle but.. Here take my hand for a moment." She leads me through the puzzle. She then says, " Puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now. You have done excellently thus far, my child. However… I have a difficult request to ask of you. … I would like you to walk to the end of the room by yourself. Forgive me for this."

Geez lady, you're too kind hearted. All I have to do is walk. Though it is sweet of her to want to help so much.

I walk over to the end of the hall she walks from behind the pillar and says,"Greetings, my child. Do not worry, I did not leave you. I was merely behind this pillar the whole time. Thank you for trusting me. However, there was an important reason for this exercise. … to test your independence. I must attend to some business, and you must stay alone for a while. Please remain here. It's dangerous to explore by yourself. I have an idea.I will give you a CELL PHONE. If you have a need for anything, just call. Be good alright?" She leaves me behind.

I start to get comfy but Chara says 'You have to leave. She takes hours to return. She is always done by the time you get there though.'I hesitate for a moment. I don't want to listen, but I realize that she is probably right.

I walk into the next room. Immediately the phone rings. I answer it and I hear Toriel's voice. "Hello? This is Toriel. You have not left the room, have you? There are a few puzzles ahead that I have yet to explain. It would be dangerous to try and solve them yourself. Be good alright?" She hangs up. I could not even say a word in that conversation.

I see a froggit and a save point. I first save, and as I touch it I hear, 'Playfully crinkling through the leaves fills you with determination. HP fully restored.' I then have the option to save or continue.

I save and walk over to the froggit. He says,"Ribbit, Ribbit. 'Excuse me human. I have some advice for you about battling monsters. If you ACT a certain way or FIGHT until you almost defeat them… They might not want to battle you anymore. If a monster does not want to fight you, please… use some MERCY, human.' Ribbit." I realize that I have to use ACTIONS until they don't want to fight, that's good to know.

I go up and see a bowl. I take candy until the bowl falls over. I feel bad, but I might need to heal myself later.

I exit the room and I encounter a whismur. I notice that I can spare it from the beginning, so I do that and I gain no gold or EXP, according to this voice. Well the gold is a problem, but I am fine never gaining any EXP. I exit the room and notice the trap area of the room. I fall down and go up the other side. I exit the room.

*I eventually arrive at a small little house. I have a spider donut, a ribbon, a toy knife, and two monster candies in my inventory. I only died a few times while walking here, five to be exact. But tibia honest I'm not use to fighting.

I sigh thinking of the pun. I miss Paps. I miss not being able to say puns while walking to him. I miss hearing him sigh from my pun, yet still knowing that he was secretly happy about them. I miss being able to freely rest, because now I feel like I can't because of another misunderstood monster trying to kill me. I want to go back to Snowdin, to go back to normal.

I see Toriel come out of the house, and I hear her say,"Oh dear, that took longer than I thought it would." I see her pull out a phone and call me. She hears my phone and goes up to me. "How did you get here, my child? Are you hurt? There, there I will heal you." I feel magic run through my body. I know that my hp is full now. "I should not have left you alone for so long. It was irresponsible to try and surprise you like this." She realizes that she gave away that she wanted to surprise me. "Well, I suppose I can not hide it any longer. Come small one."She walks into her house.

I see a save point outside and I use it. This time it says 'seeing such a cute, tidy house in the RUINS gives you determination.' I walk into the house and Toriel says,"Do you smell that? Surprise! It is a butterscotch cinnamon pie. I thought we might celebrate your arrival. I want you to have a nice time living here. So I will hold off on the snail pie for tonight. Here I have another surprise for you." I follow her down a hallway. "This is it...a room of your own. I hope you like it!" she pats my head until she says, "Is something burning? Um, make yourself at home!" She darts to the kitchen.

I enter the room and find a ton of kids stuff. Mismatched shoes, paintings, and a closet full of sweaters. I lay on the bed and find that I fall asleep immediately. I see a piece of pie when I open my eyes and I wrap it up for later. I lay back on the bed and fall back asleep.

I feel restless after waling up again so I walk out of the room. I see Toriel on a chair reading. I walk up to her and she says, "Up already, I see? Umm, I want to let you know how glad I am to have someone here. There are so many old books I want to share I want to show you my favorite bug-hunting spot. I've also prepared a curriculum for your may come as a surprise to you. . . but I have always wanted to be a teacher... actually , perhaps that isn't very . I am glad to have you living here." I feel bad, but I know that I won't be staying here. I have to get back to Paps and Frisk. "Oh, did you want something? What is it?" I hear Chara say, 'Ask her when can I go home.' Why? I retort. 'Because she wants you to stay here forever.' I know that Chara is ACTUALLY right, but I don't want to hurt Toriel's feelings. She just doesn't want for anyone to get hurt. Not to mention she knows that the other 6 children died trying to get out. I decide to instead say nothing. I hear her say something about snails, but I do not pay attention to it. I decide to stay for a bit longer because it's not like I am running out of time. But I have to remember to not save so I can easily go back to the point where Frisk probably exited. No one will notice if I come back to this point in time after a bit.

* * *

AN: So one thing you should know, Sans can not say anything out of what Frisk can say to Toriel. So no he can not explain the situation. The only thing he can say is how he wants to leave the Ruins. He can't say anything to anyone else too. At least not yet.

AN2: The first three chapters are going to more boring. It will pick up, but Sans need to get through the Ruins. And the Ruins is mostly to see Sans go through the confusion of being the main character.

*Last AN:Yes I skipped majority of the Ruins. This would make the story more boring. Everyone already seen the dialogue (Hopefully, not my fault if you haven't) so you don't need all the dialogue copied. Also when thinking about how Sans is, I feel like he would have died a bit cause he usually uses his magic to dodge and fight.


	3. RUINS III

Me: So this is going to be a smaller chapter. I just thought to split the chapter up because this probably would have made it way too long. Not to mention I actually made a good spot to end the last chapter.

Ghost: so small, only over a 1000 words.

Me: Well it's more wordy. And be quiet you baby.

Ghost: well you don't have to such a ****ing ***

Me: dude I have the power here. I can censer you here. If only I could do this in real life.

Ghost:well **** this. I'm going.

Me:at least do the disclaimer.

Ghost:***. Yukio doesn't own Undertale, or my mind.

Me:if I owned your mind I'd make sure you didn't swear.

* * *

I wake up again. I have been here for a month, and to admit I enjoyed it. I could never just relax before. Also I do not remember a time where someone took care of me, even though I know there was a time when it did happen. I always have taken care of Paps. I made sure to learn how to ACT around the monsters. I even saw Napstablook a few times and laid with him. But as it became my 32nd day, i realized that i needed to continue my journey. So I walked around the RUINS and found the spiked trap Toriel walked me through. I purposely went the wrong way and drained my HP.

I wake up outside Toriels house. I run through the dialog again and grab the butterscotch cinnamon pie. Then I walk up to toriel and ask to leave the ruins. She says,". . . I have to do something. Stay here." She runs down the basement. 'Be ready, cause you cant leave without fighting her.' Chara says helpfully. Why you helping me? I ask her. 'So you don't die too much.'

We go downstairs and I see Toriel at the end. "You wish to know how to return "home," do you not?" I follow her and she says, "Ahead of us lies the end of the RUINS. A one-way exit to the rest of the underground. I am going to destroy it." I try and say something but yet again I find that I physically can not, so I continue ahead. "No one will ever be able to leave again. Now be a good child and go upstairs." I know that I can not leave now. I have to get out of the RUINS now. It is time for me to leave, I've had my fun staying here. But I have to meet Paps now. "Every human that falls down here meets the same fate. I have seen it again and again. They come." Toriel pauses, "They leave." A moment of silence pass as she says softly,"They die." she then says finally, "You naive child. . . If you leave the RUINS.. . They. . . ASGORE. . . Will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand? . . . Go to your room." I continue onwards. Because I need to leave now. I know I'll be fine ouside the RUINS. We arrive in frount of a big door. "Do not try and stop me. This is your final warning." She takes a more cautious stance. She then says,"You want to leave so badly? Hmph. You are just like the others. There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself. . . Prove to me you are stong enough to survive." She starts firing fire balls at me. I try and talk to her first. But I can not. She fires another round of fireballs at me. My HP drops down to 0 and I briefly see her cover her mouth in shock. But I wake back up in frount of her house. I enter again and go through everything again and I find myself facing her again. I try talking to her again, but yet again I can't. But this time I dodge the fireballs. I try again, yet it yeilds the same result.

I manage to die 4 more times. I just cant figure out how to spare her. I am trying yet again, yet I am determined to get through. I dodge the fireballs and in panic I hit her. I realize that is what I have to do to get through. I manage to dodge the fireballs and kill her, yet as I finish her off I hear Chara's laughter. 'Wow you, the oh so smart skeleton did not realize that you had to just keep sparing her." I stare in shock realizing that I did kill her. I see her SOUL break in frount of me and turn to dust. I quickly reload my last reset point and hope that it turns back my mistakes.

I fight toriel again. I start by only sparing her. She says,"What are you doing? Attack or run away!" I keep sparing her. "What are you proving this way? Fight me or leave!"Her voice changes as she says, "I know you want to go home. But please go upstairs now. I promise to take good care of you here. I know we do not have much but We can have a good life here. Why are you making this so difficult? Please, go upstairs." I spare her one last time. "Ha ha. Pathetic, is it not. I cannot even save even a single child.  
No, I would just be unhappy trapped RUINS are very small once you get use to would It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like expectations, My loneliness, My fear...  
For you my child, i will put them aside." She stops fighting and says,"If you truly wish to leave the RUINS...I will not stop , when you leave...Please do not come back.I hope you understand. Goodbye, my child." She hugs me and walks out.

I exit through the door.

I thought that my mistake was forgotten.

It was not.

I see flowey in a patch of grass. "Clever,  
Verrrryyy clever .You think you're really smart, dont you?In this world, it's kill or be you were able to play by your own spared the life of a single person." Since before I never exited the RUINS, I think that this is normal. But i feel his tone shoft as he says,"Hee hee hee...But don't act so cocky. I know what you murdered then you went back, because you regretted it." How did he know? I never saw him in the room as we fought. I thought that he would not know about it. "Ha ha ha ha...  
You naive you think you are the only one with that power?The power to reshape the world purely by your own ability to play God! The ability to "SAVE."" How does he know so much? The only reason why i knew so much was because I studied it. Then something comes to my mind. The other anomalies. They happened before Frisk fell down here. "I thought I was the only one with that power. But... I can't SAVE anymore. Apparently YOUR desires for this world override MINE." He was the first one. I vaugly remember the first anomaly playing with our life, but in a very different way then Frisk. He would kill one or two people, reset and kill others. He tried everyone. Makes sense that it would be Flowey. At least he doesn't care have that power now.

"Well well. Enjoy that power while you can. I'll be watching." Flowey says before laughing and disappearing under the grass.

* * *

AN: so this was the RUINS arc. The beginning area. Next chapter will not come this week cause I'm going to be traveling back home in an 8hr flight. But I will work on more.

AN2: I thought that Sans would take the time to be lazy if he could. Also I need a time frame for the next part.

AN3: Yes everything about ghost is true. He swears like this to me, especially if he wants to annoy me. He's one year younger then me, so he loves getting on my nerves.


	4. Frisky Interlude I

**_AN: you were asking about frisk, so here it is. Frisk's story._** ** _Also I have not given up on this, or any other story I have, just school is hard. But i do want to write more. Also expect two new stories (that will probably be completed in 2025 jk jk) in the MHA genre. But i do have endings for each story i have published, except one of the MHA one, but never the less, i will keep writing._**

I'm staring ahead, seeing the golden light of the judgment hall. While I may be the one looking, I can not change my fate. I feel the dust of who have fallen to my body clinging to my hands and clothing.

My body moves without my command. I see Sans standing there. 'that look on your face, it the face of someone who is losing control. now why would that be?'

'I'm sorry Sans. I don't want this. Help me.' I manage to say.

'hehe that's a new one kid. but the thing is that I am already gone. I can't help you. and it's your fault.' Sans says, and I see a slash appear. It goes right through him. And as he turns to dust he says, 'heh he thanks. now at least I can be at rest.'

I scream, but I wake up. I see myself in a room. 'Why am I here?' I ask myself. I'm wearing something, but I can't tell. I don't feel it against my skin. I know it's dark, but I can see better than usual, though I can't see colors too well.

I focus on the room and I can tell there's a lamp, a pile of clothing, and in the corner is a … trash tornado? I realize that I'm in Sans room. But something's different. The last thing I can remember is Sans resetting. Why am I not in the flower bed? Why do I also remember the last reset?

The sweater I'm wearing is blue. It's Sans sweater.

What is going on?

I go to tug it off and I see that my hands have no skin on it. It's just bone. I pull the cover off and see that I'm wearing shorts, and my legs are all bone.

I get out of the bed and leave the house. I go to the river. I'm out earlier than usual, wait no earlier than Sans.

I get there and look in the water. I see Sans face looking back at me. I just stare at it in shock.

I wink, and the the skull mimics me. I see the ever present smile stretch as I try and smile more. I try and talk, and I see that the while I can form the words fine, my mouth doesn't open. But when I think about opening my mouth, it unseals and I see a black space and a blue tongue.

I can't stay here. I go to the safest place I can think of, Grillbys. But I was only here a few times, once with Sans.

I enter into Grillbys and say hi to everyone, as I remember doing, wait no Sans did that. Why is it that I have to correct myself?

I sit at the bar area. "Hey Grillbys. Can I have a ketchup." He nods and passes me one.

"What's wrong Sans?" Grillbys says.

"Damn, I'm that noticeable? Can I trust you?" I ask.

He nods. I lay my head on the table. I notice the room goes quiet and i look to see that it's just me and him. Even if I tell him it'll be forgotten next time there's a reset or who ever is in control of the timeline dies.

"It sounds like this is important." He says. I nod a thanks as I notice everyone else left.

"Where do I begin? How do I explain this without sounding crazy?" I say. "It's okay Sans."

"Okay I'll start with the base of the problem. I'm not Sans. My name is Frisk. I'm from the future, or is it? I don't even know anymore. I am a human. I originally came through here in like two days, three days? -Time is very hard for me here.- I met Sans when I exited from the ruins. He, of course, pranked me with a whooping cushion. I did puzzles with Papyrus that he made to capture a human. I faced against Paps, yet I spared him. We 'dated' but ended as being friends and Paps stayed in his house.

Sans was there all the way for me though. He took me here when he was at his waterfell station when I passed it. I managed to get all the way to Asgore's throne in fact. I was friends with Papyrus and Undynn. I survived Mettaton and eventually get Alphys to confess her feeling for Undynn.

Heh heh. It was a great time. And the thing was that I could control every aspect of it. I could reset time either from when I fell down here, or from certain points because I have-well had- DETERMINATION. I was a red soul. I even managed to break the barrier and free everyone.

But time reset. I was back in the beginning. But I did not reset time, the only other soul with a red soul did. They took over my body and killed everyone, with my body. So when Sans met me at the judgement hall I had given up. But when Sans was about to die, I knew I had to stop the soul controlling my body, so with sheer DETERMINATION, I managed to give him my soul. He reset time and beat the one controlling my body.

But now I'm stuck aren't I. Now everything is scrambled together in my head. My memories are getting mixed up with Sans. I don't know what to do." By the end I have tears running down my face.

They are tinted blue, I notice.

"You must think I'm crazy Grillbys." I say, wiping my sleeve under my eyes. I see a cloth being offered to me. I take it and dry my eyes.

"I believe you. Sans never let his emotions get the best of him. And your story is too on key and detailed." I go to cut him off about how I could have faked it still when he says,"Also,you got the burger right, not the fries. With tons of ketchup cause of Sans prank." I stare at him in shock. "I remember you. I never said anything to you directly, but I do remember you. Not everything, but I remember the time Sans took you. You were the first person, monster or human, that Sans took here other than Papyrus. So I'll try and help you."

"Thanks Grillby." I say, gratitude in my voice.

"You can call me Grillbz. Sans did." I nod and get off the stool. I walk out and head back to the house. Then time freezes for a moment and I see black.

 ** _AN: okay I got this done. It took me so much time and rewrites to get this right. I wanted to have it done believable._**


End file.
